• CS Munya said this was approved on Thursday last week by the Cabinet, which set aside Sh2 billion for the e-voucher system.
•The National Cereals and Produce Board has for many years distributed subsidised fertiliser to farmers on behalf of the government.
Poor farmers will be given vouchers, with which they can access fully subsidised fertiliser during the long rains planting season.
The registered farmers will access the fertiliser from chosen agrovets, who will later claim money from the government.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya confirmed that vetted maize, coffee, rice and potato farmers will get the vouchers.
He spoke during the opening of the National Agriculture Summit held last week at the Safari Park hotel.
Munya said this was approved on Thursday last week by the Cabinet, which set aside Sh2 billion for the e-voucher system.
“We will not be storing fertiliser at the National Cereals and Produce Board depots like we did before. The subsidy will expand to other staples like rice, potatoes and also coffee. The plan is to keep subsidy programme running for a period of three years. We are moving away from the subsidy programme and price fixing. We will allow the private sector to run the business to ensure stability of fertiliser prices for farmers to afford," Munya said.
The government has allowed a Moroccan company to import into the country quality fertiliser for use by all farmers during the planting season, which starts this month.
Part of the fertiliser consignments imported by the Moroccan OCP Group have already arrived in the country, leading to a drop in fertiliser prices from more than Sh3,200 per 50kg bag of DAP two weeks ago to Sh2,800 currently.
The fertiliser will be sold through open market outlets at competitive prices.
The National Cereals and Produce Board has for many years distributed subsidised fertiliser to farmers on behalf of the government.
But the board has not been involved in fertiliser issues since last year due to complains of corruption that led to the subsidised fertiliser not reaching farmers.
The CS said those who will benefit from the e-voucher system will be picked from a database, putting in mind the location and acreage of the farmer.
The system will benefit farmers from 11 Counties including maize growing Counties of Trans Nzoia, Uasin Gishu, Bungoma and Kakamega. Rice growing Counties of Kirinyaga and Kisumu, coffee growing areas of Nyeri, Embu and Bomet and potato growing Counties of Nyandarua and Elgyo Marakwet.
Eustace Muriuki, Fertiliser Association of Kenya chairman, assured farmers that there is enough fertiliser for the long rains season.
He said the country requires between 600,000 to 650,000 metric tonnes of assorted fertiliser in a year.
Muriuki said the prices of fertiliser have gone down by Sh600 from last year’s season due to a drop in the global market.
“A bag of DAP fertiliser at the port of Mombasa is currently selling at Sh2,200. By the time it gets to farmers to Kitale, the bag is selling at between Sh2,800 to Sh2,900 due to transport logistics,” he said.
Muriuki explained that at such a time last year, a bag of DAP at the port of Mombasa was selling at Sh2,800. This means farmers were buying the same bag at between Sh3,000 to Sh3,500.
“This is a reduction of Sh600. So contrary to what farmers are saying, the prices are low and affordable to farmers if they prepare well,” Muriuki said.
The CS will be in Eldoret this week during the opening of the Eldoret ASK National Show, where he will address the e-vouchers system.
“Already, we are happy that we have supplies of quality fertiliser that will be sold out at competitive prices but we also expect the CS to roll out the e-vouchers for subsidies so that prices can further reduce,” said Kipkorir Menjo, director of the Kenya Farmers Association.
Farmers use mostly DAP variety for planting maize and wheat in high producing areas in Rift Valley and CAN for top dressing.
The region requires more than five million bags of DAP for use by farmers, who are preparing their farms in readiness for planting next month.
Farmers had expressed fear of a possible shortage of fertiliser ahead of the planting season. The farmers are also worried of invasion by locusts in the region during the planting season.